Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was worried about the prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House and that Trump's claim that he could end Ukraine's war with Russia within 24 hours seemed “very dangerous.”
In an interview with Britain's Channel 4 on Friday, Zelensky invited the former president and current favorite for the Republican nomination to visit Kiev, but only if he keeps his promise.
“Donald Trump, I invite you to Ukraine, to Kiev. “If he can stop the war for 24 hours, I think that will be enough to come,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader also expressed concerns that the United States would take unilateral actions without taking the Ukrainian perspective into account, citing a lack of details on Trump's “peace plan.”
Zelensky called the former president's rhetoric “very dangerous” and apparently fears that Trump's idea of a negotiated solution will require major concessions from Ukraine to Russia.
Trump “will make decisions alone, without… I don't mean Russia, but without both sides, without us,” Zelensky said. “When he says it publicly, it’s scary. “I have seen many, many victims, but this gives me a little tension.”
He added: “If his idea (of ending the war) – which no one has ever heard of – doesn't work for us, for our people, he will still do everything to implement his idea.” And that makes me a little Care for.”
Trump has repeatedly said he is in a good position to negotiate an end to a war that began nearly two years ago and that he has good relations with Russian and Ukrainian leaders. He has effusively praised Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout his political career, including after his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
At a campaign rally in Georgia a few days after the invasion of Ukraine began, Trump called Putin a “smart” political actor and expressed admiration for Russia taking “large amounts of land” at the expense of sanctions that he considered relatively light.
The House of Representatives impeached Trump while he was president, saying he pressured Zelensky to conduct a politically motivated investigation that could harm Democrat Joe Biden in his bid to win the 2020 election. At the same time, he withheld approval of a $400 million military bill passed by Congress to help Ukraine fight Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country.
The Senate acquitted Trump of all charges.